Beyond The Call Of Blood
by Innocuous
Summary: Dean is the new kid in school but he breaks in pretty quickly; him being Dean. And then he meets Sam, a 14 yr old kid who can't get any more invisible to everybody even if he tried. Disclaimer: I am just borrowing the Winchesters.
1. Chapter 1: The New Kid On Campus

**Chapter One: The New Kid On Campus**

It was the first day of school at his new school. In two years alone, he has managed to attend three different schools due to the nature of his dad's work; but for 18 year old Dean Winchester it wasn't a problem for him at all. He doesn't mind it that much.

Being blessed with extremely good looks and a likable personality, every school he transfers to; he immediately is an instant celebrity. It's automatic, wherever he goes-he's famous. Both to girls and guys alike. The more schools he goes to, the more infamous he gets.

So who was he to complain.

His parents have nothing bad to say about the kid too. The boy is a good kid-inside and out; he has always been and always will be. Since he started to understand things around him until the present. For them, as well as for the rest of those people around them, new acquaintances or old friends-Dean is God sent. And so far the boy has not disappointed them yet nor do they expect him to in the future; or ever.

**PHS Highschool - Dean Winchester.**

The kid is getting off the bus for today. First day of school at a different school, he opted to commute and refrain from using his own transport to school yet. His doting parents immediately objected to this after they learned that he was not using his car to head for school that day. But since he always gets what he wants at home anyways - being a good kid and all, his parents enabled. They let him get away with it; as well as everything else.

The minute he stepped off the bus with his knapsack casually slung over his shoulder- after taking a whiff of the fresh air, his green pair framed perfectly under long lashes immediately scanned the surroundings. His face breaks into an appreciative smile. As predicted, his presence there, in merely minutes alone-has already commanded attention.

Girls and guys alike; jocks, cheerleaders. Everybody. Even Miss Cassie, the English teacher in her mid-20's seem to have caught his presence there. Girls are seen whispering to each other and checking him out; even giving off flirty giggles to catch the boy's attention. And that includes Miss Cassie.

The boy could just smile to this as he started to get off the sidewalk and head for the entrance of the school. Being in his bright red jacket-what his mom labeled one time as his 'jock costume'- Dean was hard to miss. Everywhere he went, every corridor, hallways - heads turn. Appreciative whispers followed.

Now inspite all of the attention given him though, Dean is the most down-to-earth guy there ever was. Like his parents always say to people about their only child, he's an angel.

Dean, with his new class schedules on hand, was on his way to his first class for the day. He just turned a corner when he hears boisterous hollering from behind him; he immediately assumed it could only come from the bunch of jocks that he saw coming down the opposite end of the hallway earlier.

He shakes his head to this. He kept walking; but not without giving off his winningest smile first to the bunch of 11th grader - girls congregated in front of their respective lockers. He may have been a jock himself in his old school before but he's not a fan of being bullies to people who are not in their league. And jocks usually fall under that category; big bullies- but never Dean.

As he was about to climb up the stairs to his room on the second floor, to mind his own business; his attention suddenly gets pulled back by something. Dean would normally be all up for standing up for people who are too weak to stand up for themselves; and he would normally. But since he is still testing the waters, at the moment he opted to not do that yet.

And that's when it happened.

"You are always going to be a loser, Winchester!" came the big jock as he just shoved a smaller kid against a locker.

'Winchester?' Dean's ear perked. He looks around, he thought he would be the one the voice was calling out to; only it wasn't. Then his eyes caught the scene in front of him. Full-on bullying. His ears immediately turned red and warm.

"HEY!"

Everybody turned their heads towards the direction of the newcomer-who happens to be Dean.

"Is there a problem here?" Dean says as he makes his way towards the commotion; there were more of less four big jocks cornering a kid twice inferior to their size. One of them, presumably the leader, gives Dean a nonchalant shrug.

"Nah! There's no problem here, kid." says the jock to Dean. Then he turns to his buddies,"Was there a problem here, guys?" he goes on while shoving the smaller kid they were hassling earlier, behind them as they turned their attention to Dean.

"I don't see any problem around here." says another one of the jocks.

"You're that new kid from the Plains aren't cha? Dean? If I'm not mistaken?" says the first jock, "Put it here, man! Drake." he offers his hand to Dean to which the Winchester boy took. "Heard you're good?"

"You know what, so have I." Dean says.

"Spunky." Drake says. "These are my boys-" he turns to the one to his right, "-this is Allen." then the one to Dean's left, "That's Josh and that's Justin." he says of the one on Dean's right.

While Dean shook their hands, his eyes snuck a glance at the kid the jocks were hassling earlier. He was walking away; it pricked Dean's heart how the other kids just brushed the kid off like he was not even there. Drake noticed him looking over his shoulder at the direction of the kid walking away. He snaps his fingers in front of Dean's face which popped the Winchester boy's thought process.

"Don't mind that kid-he's a nobody!" Drake says.

Dean got to talking with the jocks for several more minutes, when the bell rings. The hallways immediately cleared-up of the students littering the place; including the jocks. Dean opted to distance himself from the throng since he from out of the blues felt claustrophobic all of a sudden. As he was walking a few feet behind the rest of the students going his way, he felt the need to turn around. When he did, he caught something on the floor. Going back for it, he picked it up. It was an eighth grade history book. Dean caught a name.

'Well isn't that convenient?' he says to himself after reading it on the book cover. He looks around. Since there was nobody else in the hallways anymore, and he was already late as it is, the boy opted to just look for the owner later on. After slipping the book into his knapsack- he heads up to the stairs to his room.

After his first class, Dean decided to just hand the book over to the 'lost & found' department to save himself the hassle. As he was en route there - while turning a corner, that's when he accidentally bumps into somebody.

"Oh god...I'm sorry-" came the apology. "-I'm so sorry."

"Hey dude-don't pop a vein or anything, nothing's broken. "Dean says with a big friendly smile on his face. "Hey-it's cool." he had to add since the kid started to nervously ramble his apologies. "We're golden! Don't worry about it." he says assuredly, he checks the kid up. "But are you okay though? Nothing broken?"

The kid shakes his head.

"I'm okay...thanks for asking." the quiet wary response came from the younger boy, who Dean guesses is 14 years old. The kid being the very same one the jocks were piquing on earlier. Who as Dean is going on a limb in presuming that he's the one who owns the book that in his possession as well. He unzips his bag and the kid's eyes immediately caught the book.

"This is yours, isn't it?" he asks the kid as he handed him the book. The boy looked relieved beyond measure at the sight of the book.

"I thought I lost it." the kid says as he took the book. "Thank you." he says to Dean.

"Found it at the hall earlier." Dean says, "Was gon'na hand it over to the lost and found...but then guess what? I found you instead."

The kid smiles.

"Thanks again." he says to Dean.

"Don't mention it." the older boy says. He then offers his hand, "I'm Dean by the way."

"Sam." the kid replies while taking Dean's in his for a handshake. "Samuel Winchester."

"Winchester, huh?" Dean added to which the kid nods for. "Are you by any chance related to the Winchesters from Lincoln Plains?"

"Not that I know of." Sam says.

"Are you sure?" Dean asks. "Where are your parents from?"

"My grandfather is from Krendall originally." Sam says.

"Not from the Plains?"

"No, sir."

"Sir?" Dean laughs, "I work for a living, dude!"

The kid chuckles. "Sorry."

"Nah, just kidding!" Dean playfully punches the kid on the shoulder, "Well, anyways. I'll catch you later, alright kid?" he walks around the younger boy who follows him with his eyes.

"Thanks again, Dean." the kid softly calls out to him. Dean turns to him, smiles genuinely and then nodded before they eventually parted ways.


	2. Chapter 2: So Winchester Too

**Chapter Two:**

They were in the middle of dinner and Dean just told a joke to which both parents bust out chuckling their hearts out genuinely to. Dean, looking at his parents-who at the moment are conversing with each other momentarily at the inside joke they share in reference to the joke their son shared to them; it gave him the avenue to have his mind wander at the earlier events surrounding his new day at a new school.

And then his mind zones in on the new kid he met. 'Sam'...Dean says in his head. 'I wonder if my old man did a little naughty one time on one of his conferences out of town.' he wonders as his eyes are on his dad. 'Man, dad-if you had cheated on my mom-I'd kick your ass!' he says further in his head.

"Dean, honey-" Mary, his mom, calls out to him when they both noticed their son spacing out in his seat all of a sudden. "-are you alright?"

"Huh? Uh-yeah, mom." he says distractedly, "I'm fine. I was just you know, giving you lovebirds a chance to gross your only child out at the dinner table." he says to which both parents laugh at the remark for.

"Sweetie, how was school?" Mary asks randomly a few minutes later on. "Met anybody interesting? Is there a new girl I should be meeting anytime soon?"

"Mom, it's the first day of school." Dean pointed out, "A girl already? Do you really think I'm that popular?"

"Sweetie, "she says. "...you know you are."

Dean's face breaks into a proud handsome grin. "Yeeeah, I am. Aren't I?" he says smugly. John could only roll his eyes to this while Mary chuckles; taking her husband's hand on top of the table along the way as they both muse fondly at their boy. "As much as your son loves gloating at how infamous he is, Mary..." he sighs, "...no, there is no girl yet this time."

"Nobody interesting enough at your new school, hun?" Mary asks.

"Well, there's this one kid. But it's not a girl. He's a boy." Dean says. "Not that I'm interested in boys now, folks." he quickly added since he was sensing his parents were gunning on teasing him just then. "Yeah, that's right! I know how your minds work now, guys. Huh?"he points at his temple smugly and then nods from the top of his head. His parents could just smirk to this."See? I learn. Anyways, his name is Sam. This kid."

"Sam? Really?" she says with a happy smile on her face, "I've always thought that Sam is a wonderful name, sweetie. Don't you think so too, sweetheart?" she turns to ask her husband. "Just like my dad."

"Oh right! Grandpappy Sam!" Dean blurts out with a snap of his fingers, "I knew Samuel rung a bell!" he says to himself out loud before turning to his parents again. "Anyways, mom...this kid-you would never guess what made him interesting for me. Besides...the puppy dog...eyes that is...which reminds me of the puppy I always wanted as a kid."

"Oh honey..." Mary scolds. Dean only grins. Three beats and Dean is still waiting-looking, at his parents. And then a second more, with scrunched up brows.

"Well?" he says.

Mary and John look at each other and then at the boy; they both wore confused looks on their faces.

"Well , what son?" John asks in behalf of Mary and he.

"You're not even gon'na guess?" Dean asks.

"Oh?" Mary chuckles, "You wanted us to guess what made him interesting to you, huh?"

"Guys, you just take the fun out of the moment for me sometimes. It's frustrating." Dean gruntles to which Mary reaches her hand in to touch Dean's in between chuckles.

"We're sorry, sweetie." she says. "Anyways-what is it about this Sam kid, baby?"

"His last name, mom." Dean replies. "His last name."

"What about his last name, son?" John asks.

"His last name is Winchester, dad." Dean says. "Just like the rifle. Just like ours!"

"Well, that is interesting indeed." John says, "Did you ask him where they're from?"

"Krendall." the boy says, "Sam says his grandfather is from Krendall. Do we know anybody from Krendall, dad?" he goes on to ask.

"No. Our family has always been from around the Plains, boy." John says.

"You sure?" Dean asks. "Cause I always wanted a little brother-I was hoping you fathered a child out there somehow and Sam was it."

"DEAN THEODORE WINCHESTER!" Mary gasps. So did John actually, only-it was more subdued; he gasped like a marine would.

"Whaaat?" Dean says, "I mean, It was just wishful thinking!" he defended. "Not that it was true or anything. It's not true dad, is it?" he asks John who went pale-faced.

"NO!" John quickly defended with a gulp before a swig of his water.

"I mean of course I would feel offended at first, you know like you would, mom" Dean says-looking at Mary."And hurt...don't forget hurt cause he-he cheated on you." he even manages to point at his dad for reference, "But wouldn't it be really refreshing to have a fresh face around here? Like a little brother perhaps? Cause I think it would be awesome to have a kid brother, mom!"

"John, sweetheart-" Mary turns to her husband.

"Yes, darling?" John responds.

"Should I get the soap?" she follows. Then both parental units turn to Dean who immediately bolted out of his seat with a big amused look on his good-looking face.

"Guys, seriously...don't you think I'm a bit too old for baby baths?" Dean says while backing up towards the door separating the dining room from the den. "I mean, I know you guys love me and all, but this is just ridiculous now. You folks spoil me too much!"

"It's for your mouth, sweetie." Mary says.

Even before they could get up from their seats, Dean had already bolted out of there to the stairs. But not without yelling 'I love you guys!' to his folks before he did; making his parents muse even more fondly at their boy.

He's been at their school for a week. And for half of it - he didn't see the new kid. He didn't see Sam. The half part of the week when he did see him, Dean did not immediately jump in the water in making chummy with the kid; he instead opted to 'observe' him first. Why he felt he even had to do that, he had no idea.

For the three school days Sam attended school that week, Dean was watching his every move. But he was too good at it - it was oblivious to everybody; especially to Sam himself.

The boy found the kid following a routine everyday. Recess, Lunch or whenever he has a free period-he is at his usual spot by the open basket court bleachers. Alone. For the whole three days Dean was observing him, the older boy has never seen the kid with anybody. Nobody was taking the time to talk to him either; except the lunch lady at the cafeteria that is and the English teacher he shares with Sam, Miss Cassie. They do talk to Sam one way or the other.

Dean found him to be the loneliest kid he has ever seen his whole life. If not the saddest.

Due to his stalking the boy - which he would not be caught dead admitting out loud to anybody, Dean also found the kid's after school hang out as well. It was still the same spot. The basketball open court.

Dean didn't see the kid again for two days, it being the weekend. But the very first thing Monday morning, Sam's was the first face he went to look for. Just with his eyes though; only when he was able to see him come in the entrance, did Dean head to his first class.

His brown pair, as he was about to start eating his lunch which comprises a shiny red apple and a juice box, is quietly observing the older kids playing baskets in front of him on the court. For a few seconds, the kid seemingly gets lost into the game going on - until he hears movement peripheral to him. Expecting to get kicked out of his spot or hassled, Sam braced himself for the usual inevitable whenever the guys usually bothering him felt like doing it; only it didn't happen like that at all.

"Enjoying the view?" came the intro from the newcomer who found a spot beside him on the bleachers, his knapsack sitting next to him - they were sitting a few inches apart from each other. And the newcomer was just referring to older boys in the court playing baskets. "I don't know about you but I prefer the view over there more."

Sam's eyes follow the newcomer thumb as he juts it towards the direction across the campus field to where the cheerleaders are practicing their new routines. The kid smirks. The newcomer nudges him.

"You do like girls, right?" came the question.

Sam nods rather shyly. "I do like girls."

"That's awesome then!" the other boy says with a smirk, "You still remember me, don't you, Sam? From last week?" he says, "You remember me, right?"

"Dean." Sam says immediately.

"Wow, you do remember." Dean says.

"You remember me too..." the kid says appreciatively.

"Course." the older boy replies. "So," Dean eyes the kid's lunch, "-is that all you're having for lunch? An apple and a juice box? You on a diet or something?"

"Nooo." Sam chuckles. "My grandpa didn't have time to do the groceries yesterday - this was all there was. But it's okay. I'm not that hungry anyways." he explains.

"Well, you're in luck, kiddo!" Dean says, grabbing his bag and taking a paper bag out. "Would you believe my mom still makes me bring lunch to school?" he says with a wry grin on his face as he digs into the bag for a sandwich. "Here." he hands it to Sam who takes it.

"Isn't your mom going to be mad you gave your lunch awa-" Sam started to ask but Dean that time pulls out another sandwich from inside the bag and shows it off to him. "-oh. She made two."

"Mmhm." Dean says. "Told her to make me an extra for a friend."

"Isn't your friend going to go hungry now?" Sam asks worriedly, "Here." he hands the sandwich back to Dean.

"Not if he starts eating it now, he won't." Dean says. Sam took a second to process that response; but when he did - Dean didn't miss the warm smile the broke the younger boy's face just then. "Yeah that's right! You're him."

"Wow, thanks." Sam says, his smile reaching his eyes. The younger boy, after taking a bite off the sandwich - turns to Dean who looks at him nervously.

"What?" Dean asks with a serious face, "Do you taste soap in it by any chance? I can explain!" he goes on, "Mom, what did you-" he starts to whine. Only Sam shakes his head in response, he is in between chuckles while furiously chewing fast at the same time to be able to answer Dean vocally. "Are you alright?" he asks.

"I'm okay."Sam says, "And this is really good!" referring to the sandwich. "Really. Your mom makes the best sandwich!" the kid says with a warm smile on his face.

"She does, huh?" Dean says, mimicking the look on the kid's face.

"Mmhm." Sam says. "It must be nice to have a mom." he says while averting his gaze back to his sandwich.

"Yeah, it is. "Dean says, his voice trailing off. "You don't have a mom anymore?"

"I live with my grandpa." Sam says. "My parents and my sister live somewhere else."

"If you don't mind my asking, "Dean says, "...why don't you live with them anymore?"

Sam could just look at him with a look that Dean read as both fear and worry. As he was about to call Sam out on the looks, all of sudden, a basketball just came whirling towards him. If it had not been for his quick reflexes - it would have hit his face, but it didn't. He fortunately catches it with both hands; his sandwich landing on the floor.

"What's up, Drake?" Dean calls out with a clenched jaw.

"Hey-not bad!" came a voice Sam has come to fear throughout time being in school. He cringes; which Dean did not fail to see as he got up and tossed the ball back to the one it originated from. "You ARE good, Winchester!"

At the name, Sam's eyes found Dean's. The older boy could just stare back.

"Dean, my man!" Drake's voice broke the connection between them, "That is entirely opposed to the loser beside you there!" he says referring to Sam. "I can't believe he's even a Winchester, man!"

"Hey, leave him alone." Dean says.

"Practice starts at 2, later." Drake says.

"Yeah, I think I got it." Dean replies. "I'll see you 2, then." he says sarcastically.

"The coach wants to see us before practice, man." Drake says. "Let's go!"

Dean sighs. He turns to pick his bag up and the discarded sandwich on the bleacher step; he stuffs it into the paper bag with an offense before going down the steps with Drake. As he got a few more steps down though, he stops and turns to Sam.

"See you later, kid." he says.

"Bye Dean." Sam says quietly; he holds the sandwich in his hand up, "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Dean replies. And then he follows Drake out of there to head for the gym.

'Winchester?' Sam says in his head. 'Dean Winchester...' he says as he followed Dean's retreating figure with his eyes.


	3. Chapter 3: An Ever-Lasting Mistake

**Chapter Three:**

The kid is eating breakfast with his grandfather and is enjoying every second of it. The look on his face alone suggests that he is happy. And basically he is. It has been awhile since they were able to do that—spend time together. But at the moment, they are doing just that; which has brought out that big reaction from the kid.

For a year now, he has been living with a family that comprises only the two of them; his grandfather and himself. And considering just how busy his surrogate parental unit is normally —to be able to spend even just a short time with the only source of connection he has that's remotely family, like eating a meal together—which kids his age would usually take for granted; he wouldn't.

Spending time with his grandfather, for him, is a big deal.

And as Dean's first impression of him had been the 'loneliest kid' if not the saddest he has ever met; if he were to ask anybody who's ever known of Sam the longest; he can't have assessed it more spot-on even if he tried. It's the same thing everybody would say of the kid.

Sam is one sad and lonely kid.

He may be that, but so far he has been holding on. The kid hasn't given up on life yet eventhough most of the time, he feels like it's given up on him. Everything may be going the wrong way for him but he's managed to pull himself together despite the odds. Just who he is even doing all the 'holding on' for-nobody knows except the kid alone.

After his grandfather dropped him off early at school, Sam immediately took that as a chance for him to get some work done on his game moves. He used to play a lot of baskets for a long time—for as long as he can remember; and he is known to be pretty good in it too, only, after the accident happened a year and a half ago, he hasn't played a single game since.

"With only a few seconds on the clock, it looks like it's up Number 14, Samuel Winchester to bring his team to the play offs. And at the moment, he looks like he is attempting to do a three pointer. But is he even gon'na make it?" the kid mimics a sportscaster while dribbling the ball and pretending to get a shot past his invisible opponents from the other team. After a couple more dribbling, helooks for a way to get the ball in and after planting his feet flat on the three point range, eyes on the ring-he releases the ball. It goes in clean. "And he makes it!" he happily announces as he goes after the ball as it rolled under the bleachers. Just as he was picking it up and was about to go back playing - he actually stopped breathing when he realized he wasn't even alone anymore.

He drops the ball and immediately went pale as paper..

"Are you part of the team, Winchester?" starts Coach Martin on the boy. "Haven't I made it clear to everybody - including to you the last time? The court is for members of the team and members only. Are you a member now perhaps, kid? Are you?"

"No, sir." Sam replies, "I'm—I'm sorry, Coach. It won't happen again."

"It better not, Winchester." Coach Martin says while picking the basketball up. "Where do you even get off taking equipment from the supplies closet, boy?"

"But I didn't, sir. I found the ball under the bleachers." Sam defended.

"Don't mouth off to me, Winchester!" the older man goes, "Get off my court!"

Sam turns around and heads to pick his things up from the foot of the bleachers. He was leaving the open court when Coach Martin calls out after him even before he was able to leave altogether.

"Haven't you already caused enough trouble to this school, kid?" he says-calling out after Sam's retreating figure, "You should really try harder to call even lesser attention to yourself, Winchester! You'd be doing this school a favor. After what you did-you owe it to everybody. "

Sam tosses the Coach a blank look in response before he eventually took off towards the direction of the library. He figured he'll just wait for the bell to ring in there instead. As he was on his way to the building though, a girl his age who happens to have been there that time, heard everything the Coach said to Sam. After calling after the boy, she runs up alongside him.

"You shouldn't let that get to you, Sam." She says, while walking next to the boy. "What Coach Martin said. He's out of line. He has no right saying that to you."

"Why not?" Sam says quietly, "It's the truth.."

"You know not everybody in this school believes that." She says, "What happened was beyond your control, Sam. I for one don't think it was your fault."

"Ericka, I appreciate what you're trying to do and I can't thank you enough for backng me up, but—I don't think this is such a good idea." Sam says as started to take pace versus hers.

"What am I doing exactly, Sam?" she says rather agitatedly after getting taken aback by what the boy said. She stops walking. But Sam doesn't. "SAM!" she yells after him. It made Sam stop walking; and as he intended, has succeeded in putting a distance between himself and the girl. "What was I doing, Sam?" she asks again. "What was I doing that was so wrong to you?"

With his back to her, the boy manages to hide the fact that he was just crying then. When he turned to face her-he had already blinked the tears in eyes away.

"Talking to me." Sam says, "You very well know you're not supposed to talk to me anymore, Ericka! I believe your big brother made that clear when he made us both end it between us the last time!"

"You're scared I get it-" the girl starts, but Sam cuts her in.

"No, alright?" Sam says, " I'm not scared of what he would do to me, I'm not! There's actually nothing he can do to me that he hasn't done already!" he goes on, "I don't want him to hurt you, Ricky. I won't have that on my conscience too. I already have enough blood on my hands to last me a lifetime."

"Sam, please don't go…" the girl starts to sob, "…I still love you. Let me help you…"

"I still love you too, Ric. But it's not gon'na work, okay? Cause there's nothing to help me with." Sam says, "You should just start loving somebody else. I don't cut it. You deserve better." He says, "Somebody who doesn't have a past. Somebody who doesn't have his very own family disowning him and everybody at his school hating him for something he didn't want to happen in the first place!"

"Sammy…" she sobs. "…there was nothing you could have done. You said it yourself."

"It's my word against everybody's, Ricky." Sam says, "Nobody believed me then, not even my own family. Why should things be any different now?"

"We should tell somebody about what they're doing to you, Sam?" she says, crossing the distance between them. "I can't stand what everybody's doing to you any longer…"

"Just look the other away, Ric." Sam says, "I've actually gotten use to it. It's not that bad for me anymore." He assures her, "Besides, It won't be long now anyways."

"Don't say that!" she gasps.

That's when they both hear the bell ring. She reached in and took the boy by the wrist but Sam gently pulls away.

"Just look the other way, Ric. I'm begging you." The boy says imploringly, "I don't want to cause anymore trouble than I already have." Sam says, "Leave it alone. Please?"

And then he walks away.

When he got to school this morning, a Wednesday - as was his routine for the past week, Dean waited for Sam to get there. Only, even after the bell rang, he doesn't see the kid come in. It concerned him; just like the other times when Sam missed school the last time.

Sam, with his arm twisted behind him is being roughly pinned to a locker by a bigger kid; while two other stood guard. They weren't necessarily new faces to the boy and neither was the set-up he is in; his face being shoved roughly against a locker door, not a new occurrence to him at all.

"I thought we had an agreement the last time, Winchester? I told you to stay away from my sister, didn't I?" says the one pinning him against the lockers. "What were you trying to do again-pick up where you left off with her?" he goes on, "Not gon'na happen, you hear me? I'm gon'na kill you first."

"We were just—just…talking, Todd." Sam manages to tell the guy off fiercely as he was trying to wriggle free of the hold the guy has on his arm; but the more he struggled—the more the bigger kid was twisting his arm behind him. "We weren't doing anything wrong—last time I checked, talking isn't illegal!"

"Not funny!" Todd Williams spat, at the same time slamming the kid against the locker;soliciting a whimper from the kid. He tried fighting back, but just like earlier when he tried the first couple of times to get away - when he's about to manage giving one the slip - the other two were quickly there to offer back up to their other friend . Hence rendering Sam's chances of escape slim to nil.

"Listen here smart ass-" one of the two who were standing guard by the door walks up alongside the one holding Sam up. He stood peripheral to the boy, "-you better stay away from Ericka, you hear me? Cause the next time we see you even tossing a glance her way-"

"I heard you the first hundred times you threatened me with that speech, Henry." Sam says. "You're gon'na kill me—I already know tha!"

"You know for a small guy-you're really brave, kid!" says Henry Matthewson, "Brave but stupid!"

He had barely processed those words from one of the older boys to his auditory senses when Sam automatically felt the need to shut his eyes to brace for what was coming; no sooner has he done so when his side meets the business end of Todd's fists.

Dean was just coming in the locker room that time and was in front of his own locker when he hears voices coming from the other side of room; behind the lockers there. Interests perked, the boy shuts his locker door close first and then he made his way towards the direction of the voices.

Todd Williams was about to slam the kid face first agains the locker again when he doesn't get to anymore; instead, before he even saw it coming or saw who was bringing it-Dean Winchester's fists landed on the back of his head, knocking him out cold.

His two friends also shared the same fate as he did. After Dean was done with them, all three are lying on the cold locker room floor, unconscious.

"Can you get up?" Dean, crouching in front of the kid who is slid to the floor against his locker, asks Sam, "Anything broken?" he asks in concern, brushing the younger boy's hair away from his face, "Sam?" he calls out, nothing. "Who are these bastards anyways, kiddo?"

Again, nothing.

Sam could just sit there immobile looking at the older Winchester boy; while at the same time, mimicking the reaction that of a gold fish's. After he saw what Dean did to three guys by his lonesome - he could not help but just sit there on the floor in total amazement.

"Come on? Let's get out of here." Dean, when he could not get anything from the kid; he heads about to wrapping the kid's arm around his neck for leverage; while his arm finds a way around the kid's waist so he can easily hoist him up to his feet.

Before anybody could even tie them both up to what happened in there, they already managed to escape to a different route.


	4. Chapter 4: Always Forever

**Chapter Four:**

Dean, since the moment he started to understand anything —how they are supposed to work around him when he was growing up, has never been as careful with anybody as he is with his mom. The boy has never really wanted to be as careful with anybody else not even with himself except of his mom; it's been his long-standing philosophy growing up. For him, ever since he was a little boy – nobody is as important as his mom. Hence the philosophy. But at the moment, as he is walking the kid around the side of the school away from public eye – he couldn't understand it himself, but he was being careful with Sam as he would be with and of his mom, Mary. It was like he is taking such care of the kid like he was somebody he regards that is of great importance to him—just like he is with his mother.

He is aware of the new territory he is threading in with the kid he barely met for two weeks ago; but it seems like he doesn't even want to get himself out of it anytime soon - if not ever. Something is making him want to be careful with and of the boy. But just what it was that was making him react that way around the kid he barely knows, Dean has no idea at all.

But right now, all he knows is that he is enabling himself like crazy.

A tug on his arm shakes him out of the thought process going through his head just then. He caught the younger boy looking at him funny.

"What?" he voices out, feeling both concern at the kid's condition and at being heard thinking of such things at the moment. "You need to sit down first or anything?" he added, feeling his face turn red like a lobster at the embarrassment. But when Sam replied, his concern reverted to just about the kid's condition after the ordeal with the big kids.

"Dean, isn't the nurse's clinic the other way?" Sam points out to him towards the opposite end of the hallway they were headed to. The older boy meets the kid's eyes again after he does look down the empty corridor when the kid pointed.

"Yeah well, I'm not taking you there for a lousy first aid, kiddo." Dean replies with a grimace. "You kind of look like you have a broken rib in here or something." He says emphatically in reference to the kid's side where at the moment, his hand is wrapped around on, "Felt something move under there."

"You're not gon'na…you're not gon'na bury me now or anything, are you?" Sam asks with a nose-wrinkle and a look on his 14-year old face that suggested he was teasing; both of which made Dean smirk at the remark. "I'm not going to die from this, Dean." The kid added.

"Dude, for somebody who should be borrowing Jason's mask at the moment to cover up the ugly…" referring to Sam's blood and welt covered face, "…you sure are spunky! I like that, kiddo!" he added proudly. Sam makes a face to him for that in response. "Whaaat? But I bet after you get a chance to see your face in the mirror that you won't be AS spunky! You'd be cryin your heart out!"

"No, I'm not…" Sam bats like a 6 year old would. Dean could just feel his heart warm up to the kid by the second as he is half-dragging the injured kid down the hall. "Where are we going, Dean?"

"Just hang on, okay?" he says gently and with an even more amped level of concern, his brows furrow on his forehead after he saw blood trickle down the kid's busted left cheek. 'Damn it!' he cussed mentally at this, 'Those bastards are gon'na be so dead tomorrow!'

"Okay, Dean." Sam's voice once again interrupts his thoughts when he spoke. The rest of the walk down was in silence since Sam was starting to feel the injuries take their effects on him; and Dean knew it too, so he allowed the kid to save the rest of his energy for the walking.

When they got to the school parking lot; Dean immediately walks the kid to the passenger side of his black sleek 1967 Chevy Impala,which was a recent present to him courtesy of his old man when he turned 18, opened the door next as he started to walk around the front of the car to the driver's side. He half expected to see Sam already inside when he got behind the wheel; but when as he was about to buckle the kid's seat belt for him -he found the shotgun seat empty of its supposed passenger.

He ducks his head towards the passenger side to catch the kid's face meeting his when he looks in the car himself.

"Sam, get in." Dean calls out. "I'm taking you to the doctors."

"Dean-uh…we don't have to do that." Sam replies worriedly, "Really. I'm fine." He says, "Besides, nothing's really broken or anything. It's just cuts and bruises, Dean. They'll just heal away given a day or two. You don't have to drive me anywhere."

"Kid, it's better to be safe than sorry as the saying goes. Or whatever." Dean says, "Come on, get in." he says while starting the engine. "Sam." he calls out again but Sam only stood there, reluctant and unsure.

"Dean, I'll just head to the nurse with this if you don't mind." Sam says quietly. "It's not really worth all the fuss anyways. And I really really don't want to be a bother to you. I don't want to impose on you or anything."

"You're not, okay? And I'm the one offering to drive you to the doctors, alright? So 'no' imposition here, trust me?" Dean says. "Now get in."

"Dean, I'll just hang back and get to the nurse's instea-"

"Sam, seriously. Just-just get in the damn car, would ja?" Dean says which came out a little bit harsher than he intended for it to come out; Sam, after seeing that look and hearing the tone – took that as a cue to start walking away. And he did.

Dean, after realizing what he did, which was scare a kid that had just been to a full-on bullying barely minutes ago and possibly everyday of his existence; all he could do after could just pretty much revolve around after getting out of the car and slamming the door after him -cuss at himself both mentally and vocally to scold himself.

"god damn it!" he grits repeatedly at himself.

**DINGDONG!**

As it comes normal to the kid whenever his grandfather was out of town in relation to his work, he is eating his dinner by himself again. After the school nurse fixed him up and made sure nothing was in fact broken in him earlier, he was asked to stay at the clinic until school for that day was over. And then he was sent home. When he got home, he took another couple of hours rest; hehad just wrapped up making dinner for himself, which was comprised of breakfast cereals and strawberry milk that time when he hears the doorbell ring.

On top of the dinner table were his school books piled in front of him beside his water and milk, some of the other books are lined-up on the opposite side of him; making him look more like a college student doing research for his thesis instead of a grader.

**DINGDONG!**

The door rang again the second before he was able to get there to get it. He was reluctant to answer it at first since that bell has never been used before since he started living there after he was sent away from home almost two years now.

Taking a big breath before he reached in for the knob, he had to mentally scold himself for even expecting to find house robbers on the other side of the door just then. Not really knowing what to expect since he has no friends anymore that would just drop by to see him from out of nowhere; neither should he expect anyone of his grandfather's since his life apart from his grandson is mostly out of town since he works there is what prompted the boy to think of house robbers instead.

'Right, Sam? Like robbers would be that polite these days and use the front door?' he says as he reached for the knob, 'Here goes…'

Slowly peering out the edge of the door, Sam found the visitor not to be threatening at all. At the moment he isn't at least.

"Hey-"

"Hey, Dean." Sam replies.

And then cue a chorus of 'Listen…' from the both of them at the same time which made them chuckle for a couple of seconds. As he stood there seeing all the welts and bruises on the kid, Dean can't help but cringe in disgust and anger at the big kids who hurt his friend. A couple more seconds later, they spent in awkwardness as they stood there; and that's when Dean decided to break the tension.

"Look, Sam-I uh…" he starts with a nervous chuckle, "…about earlier? Doing what I did…scaring you like that…I didn't really mean to."

"Dean…" Sam began, "..you came all the way here to apologize to me?" he asks incredulously to which Dean was quick enough to respond to with the most obvious answer in the world.

"Mmhm." He says, "So am I off the hook now?" he added with a big confident grin on his handsome face, but after Sam just stood there looking at him, he felt the need to quickly add, "Not yet? " he asks, "Which is why I brought this." He retracts the one hand that he has been keeping behind him since Sam opened the door to him earlier. It wasn't empty.

He hands what was in it - to Sam.

"What's this for, Dean?" Sam's eyes went from Dean to the thing in the older boy's hand.

"A peace offering!" Dean says."Well, it's technically a box of dingdongs—I'd have bought you chocolates but then I thought that that would probably make you suspicious of my intentions towards you, so probably not a good idea. So I got you a box of dingdongs instead. Harmless. Nothing says 'peace offering' best than a box of dingdongs I should say!" he points out. "Saw you eating some at school one time. So here." He says, "Take it."

Sam does take it and looks at Dean with a big amused look on his face.

"Are you making fun of me?" Dean had to ask with a serious face. "You're making fun of me, aren't you—you little bitch? Give me that!" he reaches in for the box of dingdongs in Sam's hand but the kid was quick enough to keep it behind him.

"Nononono, Dean." Sam was quick enough to reply, his face breaking into a smile and then a chuckle. "I wasn't. Really. Honest. Honest."

"You better not be." Dean says, "Or I'm kickin' your ass you hear me?" he had to immediately retract that when he saw Sam's face turn wary. "Hey, dude-I'm kidding! I'm kidding here…alright?" he added. The older boy had to mentally choke himself for putting the wary look on Sam's face again just then. "Are you okay? I was just kidding, Sam. I wasn't really gon'na do that. Like I could actually do that to you? I wouldn't."

"I'm okay, Dean." Sam replies quietly. "I just-"

"You're just what?" Dean says narrowing his eyes at the kid; he decided to veer it to the lighter approach instead."Sam, I'm not trying to pick you up or anything. Last time I checked I only pick girls up. And you're no girl, kiddo."

"I know that, Dean!" Sam busts out chuckling. "You're funny…I didn't think you were picking me up at all. It's just I was thinking that you didn't need to do that anymore, you know? Coming all the way here just to apologize to me." He says, "You didn't have anything to apologize to me for, Dean. "

"Yes, I do, Sam." Dean says, "I saw the look on your face earlier. And I put it on your face. I scared you. I should apologize for that and I am."

"And you got me dingdongs too…" Sam says.

"So are we good now?" Dean says. "Am I your friend again?"

"Of course, Dean!" Sam replies with a genuine smile on his face. "Of course! Always!" he says, "Friends forever!"

That reaction, the look on the kid's face-touched Dean's heart like nothing has touched him before his whole life. He can't help but smile just as genuinely back.

"Yeah, forever." Dean mimics.

"You want to come in, Dean?" Sam asks. "Only if you want to."

"Nah, I prefer staying out here."

"Okay." Sam says immediately.

"Sam, I was kidding." Dean says, "Of course I want to come in." he says.

Sam's response was a chuckle as he stepped aside to let Dean in the front door.

"Dean, "Sam starts as Dean was coming in the door, "...how did you even know where I live?"

"Well," Dean chuckles rather embarrassingly, "...I kind'a followed you home."

Sam's brows arched on his forehead as he looked at the wall on the clock then at Dean. "But I came home 4 hours ago, Dean."

"I didn't stay out there this whole time, Sam." he defended, "After I stalked-er I mean, "he chuckles, "...FOLLOWED you home-" he corrected himself, "...I went to the mini mart to get you the grub." referring to the dingdongs, "I called my mom that I was gon'na be late for dinner on the way-and then I pulled over across the street from your house and stayed there."

"For how long?" Sam was afraid to ask.

Dean grins sheepishly while rubbing his neck; Sam just closed the door behind them.

"3 hours." he bit his lower lip.

Sam gasps after hearing the response. "Deeean?" he grimaces guiltily.

"Now Sam, before you shut the door to my face and all that," Dean began.

"Dean, you're already inside the house." Sam points out quietly. Dean looks around.

"Right." he says, chewing his lip, "Well, kick me out then?" he says.

"I wouldn't do that, Dean."

"Sam, kiddo-I know just how creepy that must sound to you right there, stalking you like that...but despite how that may have seemed to you," Dean says, "...let me assure you that my intention in coming here is purely the big brotherly kind towards you, okay? I'm not some creepy guy with a girly crush on some kid here. Trust me." he defended.

"I wouldn't think that about you, Dean." Sam says.

"Really?" Dean flinches.

"Really, Dean." Sam says, smiling warmly.

"It didn't seem that creepy to you, huh?" Dean asks nervously.

"I don't even think it's creepy at all, Dean."

"Awesome!" Dean claps his hand to that loudly as he walks into the house leaving Sam at the foyer watching him make himself at home in the kid's house like he lives there. "What's for dinner, kid?" he calls out to Sam from inside the kitchen. The younger boy could just shake his head to that as he watched the older boy fondly.

'Big brother...' he mentally says after recalling what Dean said earlier. Sam's face breaks into a warm smile to that as he follows him into the kitchen. '... bet that would be really cool!' he says hopefully. But then his eyes wandered to one of the framed up pictures on top of the fireplace; resting on the person whose image was captured in the photograph. 'Teddy...' he says under his breath. And that's when he felt all the guilt return in full force.


	5. Chapter 5: Full-On Nose Dive

**Chapter Five:**

Dean is at the porch talking to somebody on his cellphone. When he came in the house earlier - it was like he was born to be the kid's big brother his whole life. It was like they knew about each other and hung out since birth judging by the way they connected to each other in an instant. They like the same action-packed movies, crappy sappy ones, like the same soda, the same fruit, cuss word, laugh at the same jokes - they even found out that they each own a Dallas Cowboy jersey with the same number on it. Every second he was spending with the kid, Dean could feel him growing on him. It was even making him think of crazy stuff in his head like making his dad own up to fathering Sam so he can take him home and officially make him his little brother.

Dean had to laugh at himself for even thinking that but deep inside, he does wish with every iota of his being that Sam was his kid brother. There was something about the kid that make them connect. If only he knows what it was already. But so far, he doesn't.

He has just been in his new friend Sam's house several hours hanging out with the kid when his phone rang. After reading the name on the screen of his unit, he immediately caught the kid's eyes and gestured to him that he was gonna take the call outside, at the porch. And that's what he did. Take the call outside; which is why at the moment he is out there.

"Party, huh?" Dean says, rubbing his nape with his free hand as he paced the length of Sam's porch. "And who's gonna be there?" he says further into the conversation, "Amanda? Noo...really?" he blurts-his face breaking into a suggestive grin, "That pretty little thing's gonna be there? Seriously?" he says. For a few seconds he was reduced to nods and 'mmhms' as he was listening to the person on the other end talk. Before he resumes talking again, Dean looks over his shoulder first to make sure Sam wasn't there to hear him, "Dude, are you kidding? Of course that's sound really tempting right there, man...I mean, come on? it's Amanda, dude! She's like the hottest cheerleader I've-get out of here! They're gonna be there too? Dude, the double mint twins?" he says excitedly on the phone, "Drake, man, you're gonna give me a heart attack here! Enough!" he laughs.

Sam was about to step out the porch to check on Dean that time when he unfortunately overhears the very same name he fears coming out of his new friend's lips. The name of the very person which scares him more than anything else in the world does. Just hearing that name right there was more than enough to wind the boy out like he had just been hit by something invisible right on the gut. He slowly backs away from the door and as quietly as he could, made a beeline straight towards the kitchen where Dean left him earlier. Sam made sure he was back in there before Dean even found out that he had been nearby to have heard his phone conversation just then; when he clearly should not have been there in the first place.

As he sat there behind the counter top, the kid's eyes are pointed towards the entrance to the kitchen where he knows Dean will be coming in once he's done with the call. The kid felt like gagging. He didn't know how and what to feel at the moment. The boy is confused as hell on how to process the information; he doesn't know how to reconcile the fact about how Drake and him share something in common.

They are both friends with Dean.

Sitting there earlier, talking to his new friend in the form of the older boy, Dean - the kid could not remember being as happy before as he was at the moment to finally have a new friend in his life; only to have that very same happiness barely seconds later, doused out by new found information.

**ooooooo**

Still outside, Dean nods a couple of times before he does start to wrap the call up. "I'll drop by in an hour, alright? See you by then." he goes on, "Right now? Where I'm at? I'm-uh...at a friend's house. Yeah, I'm hanging out with a friend right now."

His eyes are on the front door open a crack; he was starting to feel apprehension creeping in. He has been out there for more than five minutes already; at the moment he was starting to worry that Sam was gonna come out of there any minute and find him talking to 'Drake' and he didn't want the kid to know that fact right there. It being the reason why he even preferred to take the call outside.

Dean is oblivious to the fact that what he was trying to avoid had already happened. Sam already knows.

**oooooooo**

When he came back in the house after the call with Drake, Dean found Sam on the very came spot where he left him earlier. The kid is doing his homework. The older boy made his way back to the stool he was sitting on earlier across the counter top from Sam before Drake's call took; h e offers the kid a big smile and the kid returns it with his own version as well. And then he averts his eyes back to what he was doing; Dean's eyes though remain on the kid as he sat down.

He had barely been back there for a few seconds when he immediately picked up on the kid's mood shift. It wasn't even anything drastic; Sam made sure of it - he was careful enough not to tip Dean off to anything, in fear of scaring his only friend away; he was still the same mild-mannered kid like he normally was. Yet Dean still noticed something about the kid's subdued body language around him and it brought him to the conclusion that Sam knew.

'Damn it!' Dean groaned inwardly as he sat there watching the kid all tensed-up, 'This is awkward! Damn it! god damn it!' "Sam," he evantually calls out a second later. The kid looks up. And their eyes meet.

"Yeah, Dean?"

"I thought I asked you to give me a minute to take the call outside?" Dean says. "I did, didn't I?"

Sam started to open his mouth to say something but he only got as far as gaping and that was it; no words-no sound would come out. He averts his gaze back to his homework. Dean got up and started to pace his side of the kitchen.

"You have any idea how uncomfortable this is now, for me kid? Between us?" Dean says, "Do you have any idea how awkward this is?" he goes on, and turning his face away, "Damn it!" he cussed angrily with a heavy sigh. He resumes pacing again, brows all scrunched up on his forehead.

"I didn't mean to over hear anything, Dean." Sam says softly, apologetically, "...I was just..." he sighs, "...I didn't think you'd mind it this much. I'm sorry."

"How much did you hear?" Dean asks. "Did you know who I was talking to?" he holds the kid's gaze, "You know who it was, don't you?"

"No." Sam says, trailing his voice off.

"Don't lie to me." Dean says.

"Yes..."

'Damn it!' Dean cusses mentally. As he stood there meeting Sam's eyes, he could feel himself shrinking in size as the kid looked at him. "This is crazy..." he says. He sighs on the side before he starts for the kitchen entrance. "I got to go, Sam." he goes on, "I'll just see you at school tomorrow, kid."

"Dean," the kid gets off his seat and walks around the counter to start following the older boy. Dean stops midway out of the kitchen but he doesn't turn around to face the kid. "...I really didn't mean to over hear anything. Please don't leave?" he says quietly, "You need me to apologize again to make you stay? I'm sorry, Dean..."

Dean rubs his face in frustration with his hand before he turned around. His throat felt parched and his gut was hurting; just how it is that merely the kid's sad voice in his ears was more than enough to pull those reactions from him; Dean couldn't even answer that himself.

"This is exactly why I didn't want you to know about the call, Sam." Dean says with a grimace. "I didn't want to see that look on your face." he says, Sam drops his head to his chest after hearing that. "I knew that you'd feel this way and I-I know who that guy is to you, alright? Don't think that I don't cause I do. I'm not blind, Sam. I was there the first time I was at that school what monsters Drake and his guys are. I actually hate their guts as much as you do, kiddo...it's just-I don't know." he shrugs his shoulders dejectedly, "I don't know why I am even talking to these guys or-" he lets out a frustrated sigh before he resorts to just give up explaining since he knows he isn't making any sense anyways. "I'm sorry, I'm friends with them, Sam. I really am. I don't understand it myself, but I am." he buries his face in his hands in frustration before letting out an equally frustrated groan. "Damn it!"

They stood there in silence for several seconds before Dean turns to leave again.

"Dean, I don't mind." Sam calls out.

"You don't mind what?" Dean casts his face upward exasperatedly before turning to face Sam again. "You don't mind what, Sam?"

"I don't mind knowing." the kid says.

"Yeah." Dean scoffs, "Cause the hurt look on your face sure says otherwise, Sam...I don't buy it!"

"I want to keep being your friend, Dean..." Sam says, "...if you don't mind keeping me too." he goes on, "It's been awhile since I've had any friends and-I really really don't want to lose the only real one I have right now. Please don't quit being friends with me, Dean? Nobody even has to know I am if you don't want them to. It's fine with me."

"You think I can really do that to you?" Dean says incredulously. He shakes his head, "Man? This is-this is not gonna work you know...I can't keep being friends with them and keep being friends with you at the same time. It's too crazy even for me. I don't know, Sam. I mean-I like you, kid. But those guys-I hang out with those guys almost all the time, I have to. We're a freakin' team. I can't not quit being friends with them. I mean, what's the point of playing in the same team with them and calling them teammates if I'm not even gonna be friends with any of them?" he says, "You understand me, don't you, Sam? I mean, we barely know each other yet anyways. But those guys-" referring to Drake and his jock buddies, "Sam, I've hung out with them way longer than we have."

**KKKKKKKRRRRRRRTTTTTTTTT**

Dean's hand quickly dug for his phone in his pocket and he took it, in front of Sam.

"Yeah?" he starts. As he stood there talking to Drake on the phone, Sam was looking at him the whole time. And Dean swears the kid wore the saddest look he has seen on anyone. He wrapped the call up in a minute. "I got to go, kid."

"Okay, Dean." Sam says as he followed Dean to the door. The older boy was already by the door when the kid calls him. Turning around when he got just outside the door, "Here."

Sam hands him his box of dingdongs.

"But I gave this to you, kid." Dean says, holding the box of treat in his hand.

"You should give it to your real friends, Dean." Sam says, trying real hard to fight back from enabling the tears in his eyes to fall, "I think you see none of that around here."

Dean, after meeting the kid's gaze with his own, with his jaw all clenched, he gives a nod before he eventually turned on his heel and left.


	6. Chapter 6: Fallin Inside The Black

**Chapter Six:**

As he sat behind the wheel of his ride, the boy's eyes wandered to the item riding shotgun. And then his green pair averted towards the front door of the house that he had just walked-out of barely half an hour earlier. Dean has been sitting in his car for that amount of time now but it doesn't seem like he was leaving anytime soon; nor does he even want to.

At the moment, Dean felt guilty as hell. All he wants to do so bad is go back to the house and apologize to the kid like crazy- take back everything painful he said to the kid, even grovel if necessary. But the rest of him, his jock side - the one who loves fame, girls and all the accolades he gets wherever his presence is around, it kept him from doing any of those things. It even wanted him to drive off to the party half an hour ago already. Just what it was that kept the boy from driving away altogether despite all the prodding the rest of him is making him do - his heart.

It was like his mind was playing a home movie in front of him just then, only it was only in his head. Nobody else can see it but him. What he kept seeing in front of his face, is the look on Sam's face when he told him earlier that he was choosing his other friends over him. He saw the hurt not only in the kid's face just then; Dean also saw Sam's heart. He saw how in pain it was.

He sat there miserably for more or less a couple of hours, waiting, contemplating, guilt-tripping, before he decided to eventually take off for the party. But not without shedding a tear for what he just did to his new friend. Dean could already tell as he was driving off to Drake's place, before he even got there, that he was going to be having the worst of times at that party. Half of him was even dreading the idea of getting there and being there. But his jock side just over- powers him somehow that he finds himself actually being there minutes later.

Sam's eyes are on the door as he sat on the den couch after Dean left half an hour ago. His chest hurt, his head hurt - even his eyelids are painful. What Dean did, everything he said and ultimately what the older boy chose to do, the kid can't help but dwell on it. The pain of what his friend did was just as painful to him as the accident itself and what the result it brought to his 14 years of existence. As he sat there, he cannot help but start to cry.

Amanda immediately hovers around him the very minute he got there. She doesn't leave his side even for a minute; apparently the girl has the hots for the boy and is using the party as a chance for her to hook up with him. And being Drake's closet girl cousin, it helps her big time since the boy can't help but enable her every whim since she grew up with him spoiling her all the time.

She has been nipping at his ear like he's a sugar treat like crazy and groping him for who knows how long since he got there; but in spite of the good time the set-up was offering him, with his dream girl handing it to him on a silver platter, Dean could still just sit there with his mind wandering some place else. Judging by the blank look on his face as he was staring at the punch bowl on the coffee table in front of him, it was apparent that he doesn't even have any idea that what Amanda was doing was already bordering close to violating him; and not in a good way, that should Mary have been around and saw what the girl was doing to her baby boy just then; she was not gonna think twice being a murderer if only to avenge Dean.

'I wonder what he's doing right now...' Dean distractedly says in his head about Sam. '...maybe I should go back and check on him or something?' he added. From out of nowhere, he starts to get goosebumps and then he busts out giggling. Amanda just kissed him on the back of his ear. The boy cranes his neck and his face met with hers.

"I love you..." she says to him and then she leans forward and started to kiss the boy. But Dean doesn't kiss back. After she noticed that the boy was not even kissing back, Amanda felt the need to pull away. "...anything wrong, sweetie?"

'Define wrong?' Dean replies mentally with a groan, "Uh-no. Nothing's wrong."

She cradles the boy's face in her hand and pulls him closer for another kiss. Dean enables for a few seconds but then his mind goes back to the saddest face he has seen on anybody; belonging to the lonely 14-year old boy living in the house on Bumble Bee Street. He pulls back from the kiss with Amanda and with a smile on his handsome face, as politely as he could...

"I'm hot." he says, trying to get his voice across to her despite the loud music in Drake's pad.

"Baby, you have no idea!" she says, taking that as a cue to resume groping the boy's chest excitedly and kissing him on the neck. Dean carefully pulls away and made her focus on his face.

"That's not what I'm saying. I meant I'm parched. Thirsty..." he says. "...I need something to drink."

"I'm thirsty too, Dean." she giggles suggestively. Amanda then leans closer to Dean's ear and whispered something into the boy's ear to which after the boy heard what she had to say could just gasp.

"Oh god, you're amazing you know that?" Dean blurts with a naughty spark in his eyes at the idea suggested by Amanda just then.

"I know!" she grins just as suggestively at the boy. She started to get him up from off the couch and drag him towards the bedroom in the basement when halfway there, the boy just tugs his arm back from her gently. "Dean-we're almost there...come on?" she takes him by the wrist again and tried dragging him again; only Dean stood his ground where he stood in the hallway leading to the basement. Her brows arched to this. "What is it?" she asks. "You've been really distracted this whole time, Dean." Amanda steps in front of the boy, "Is there somebody else in there or something?" referring to Dean's head, "There's somebody else, isn't it?"

Dean flinches at the question and at the thought of himself answering it. "Well, technically speaking...yeah." he replies, "There is-there is somebody else." he says, "Which is why I have to go, Amanda. I'm sorry."

Before long, Dean is seen driving away from Drake's party and was headed for home.

**Gym - the next day.**

He looks up. His brown pair followed the rope that led to the top. And then his eyes averted to his gym coach's face looking at him; behind him are his classmates. And they are all looking at him like they were waiting for him to give birth just then.

"And Winchester-" his coach's loud low-toned growl popped his thought bubble just then. "-what are you waiting for? A formal invitation or something?" he goes on, "It's a freakin' rope!"

"You're holding up the line, Sam." says one of the girls in his gym class. "You want me to go first?" she offers.

"Robertson stand down." Coach Riley spat at the girl, then he turns to Sam. "Either you climb the damn rope by yourself or I'm tying it around your neck!"

"Coach, I don't think he's ready..." another girl says from behind the coach. A couple of boys in the same class as Sam started to scoff and snigger to mock the Winchester boy. "...grow up you guys!" she tells them off.

"Get over yourself, Missy!" one of the boys says.

"Are you Wimpchester's little groupie now or something?" spat the other boy.

"Hush!" the coach snaps at them. He goes back to zone in on Sam, "Get on the damn rope, boy!"

"Coach..." Sam starts to say, "...I don't think I can do it."

"It's typical isn't it, kid?" the older man says, "I've always known that you'd never amount to anything-"

"Coach, please leave him alone?" Casey, the first girl earlier, says. "He looks real sick, like he's about to pass out or something." she says in concern. The coach would have started to scold her when the bell rang. The rest of the students were instructed to go except for Sam. The two girls wanted to object to this and could just look at Sam in concern, but just as Sam is helpless versus Coach Riley, so were they.

They walked away with heavy hearts and feet.

"If we have to stay here all night, Winchester, we're gonna." Coach Riley threatens. "You're getting up there whether you want to or not!"

With shaking knees and harsh breathing - Sam's hands eventually made their way to the rope. He looks up at the top where it connected with the rafters up there, then his eyes followed the rope to where his hands was holding on to it. It takes him several grueling minutes to get halfway up - with the coach ragging him and nagging him the whole way, that sure didn't help at all either.

Sam felt his heart trying to thump its way out of his chest just then; he also could feel his temperature rising above the level it was in when he woke up this morning that he had to pause halfway in the climb. He needed a minute to gather himself up. Unfortunately the coach didn't think that was a good idea. He grabs the end of the rope below Sam and tugged.

That's when it happened.

** !**

Dean is having a bad day. He woke up real late, he missed his morning classes for that day because of it. He was headed for his first class in the afternoon when as he was parading his popular handsome face in the corridors, that's when he over hears a familiar name from a girl's lips when he passed her by talking to one of her classmates in front of her locker.

He grabs the girl on the arm and spun her around to face him-who upon being man-handled like that would have started to object with her friends; only after they realized who it was - that it was Dean, the school's new playmaker, they reverted to giggling instead. But after Dean goes about to asking about Sam after he heard her talk about him, her face immediately turned serious.

"He fell...at gym." she says.

"The bleachers...fell from where?" Dean asks in concern.

"He fell from the climbing rope, Dean..." she replies.

The boy felt like blacking out as he was dashing for the quickest route to the nurse's clinic. But when he got there, the room was locked. He frantically dashes after the school janitor who was nearby to ask him where the school nurse was and he was directed to the hospital just a few minutes' drive from there.

As he was driving to the said establishment, Dean finds himself crying in silence. 'Sammy...'


	7. Chapter 7: Meet Peter Winchester

**Chapter Seven:**

Eyelids that provide shade for a dewy brown pair just started to flutter. Moments later, they eventually allowed said brown eyes to open altogether. Sam, after seeing the unfamiliar colored- ceiling and surroundings, immediately realized that he was not at the school clinic anymore, or at his house. That made him groan mentally; he knows it would only mean trouble. He was avoiding it earlier when he forced himself to go to school despite how crappy he felt with fever and migraine; only to have his avoidance thwarted anyways.

He remembers begging Nurse Jennings not to call his grandfather before he passed out and Sam also recalls that the last words she said to him, from equally kind lips and face were, 'You don't have to worry about a thing, Sam.' And then that was it; Sam remembers falling inside a deep black something. In between then and right now, he has no idea at all about anything.

The kid is starting to hyperventilate on his bed at the thought of having his school find out that his grandfather is out of town again; or worse his school calling his dad or mom instead because of it. The first and hopefully last time it happened was Six months ago. But it was still fresh in his head. He skipped school after getting the same symptoms as last night, a temperature and a bitching migraine. After the school called up to check on him and got rerouted to his grandfather's work number - they instead opted to call the boy's dad. And as much as Peter Winchester was not a fan of anything related to sports _**ANYMORE**_, he's even any less with his boy.

**Six months ago, School campus - Sam & his dad, Peter Winchester.**

Sam was coming around the side of the school, a route he opted to use to get to his next class since he knows there would be less people to see him there when along comes his dad. Upon seeing his old man, the 14 year old literally turned paper pale and cold as ice. He stood frozen in his spot a few feet from his father and it wasn't until Peter grabbed him by the arm and dragged him to a corner was he uprooted from where he stood.

"Dad, I'm sor-sorry they called you-" Sam started but he gets shoved to the wall by the towering figure of the senior Winchester, all 6 feet of him versus the kid's 5 '4 and a half frame.

"You don't talk, you hear me?" he roughly grabs the kid by the face and shook him, "YOU do not talk unless I ask you to!" Peter spat angrily and judging by the veins attempting to pop on either side of his temple, Sam guesses his father is extremely angry. It was the day of the accident all over again for him and it had barely just been a year and a half when it happened. "Where do you get off getting me called back to this damn school again, Samuel, huh?" he says fiercely - letting Sam go with a rough shove to a corner, "Where do you get off doing that?" he goes on, "They don't have the right getting me back here, do you understand? How dare those sons of bitches get me back here again-so they can what? Remind me of all the pain being in this place gives me? IS that it?" he shoves the kid against the side of the school building and held him in place with his big hand on the boy's chest. "You know you should be so lucky they called me instead of your mom! If they had called her and she ended up having a breakdown again like the last time and she had barely been back on her feet at the moment- I'd be making you sorry like you would never believe, boy!"

Sam's eyes never left his old man's face. As he was standing there, hearing all the things he was saying - the kid wanted so bad to just stop breathing, or pass out and just never wake up again. The anger in his father's eyes were enough to make the kid contemplate on taking his own life like he actually did plan on doing a year ago. And actually went through with. Only his grandfather was there to bring him back from it. As he was hearing all the painful words again, the kid is being pushed on thinking of doing the same thing again, his grandfather not being there like the last time to bring him back. Sam knows that should he decide to down a bottle of his pain pills again, that this time his grandfather won't be around to save him. But then the thought of his father getting called to be there again, the idea of his old man being informed that the son he hates is dead - even that mere thing Sam doesn't think his dad deserved. For him, he doesn't think his dad deserved anything remotely related to him; even his death.

He loved his dad; he feels he has hurt him enough. So push the thought of suicide out of his options list he did.

"This damn school doesn't have any right to do that cause I don't have a kid in this damn establishment anymore, you hear me? I don't!" he added, "My boy is dead! I don't have a son anymore!" after having said those words, Peter Winchester left his boy standing there watching his retreating figure get into his car across the street and driving off.

**Present day, hospital - Sam.**

Sam's little 14 year old hand crawls up to his chest to nurse it. The pain of that memory haunted him again like it was just yesterday it happened. And since he is at the hospital at the moment, is bound to happen again he guesses. He dreads it like hell. He is thinking that any minute his old man is going to come in the door and probably make him really sorry like he said the last time.

Just then, Sam's eyes found something - someone else in the room with him. He was not alone and judging since the other somebody was sleeping on the side of his bed like he has been for a long time, has not been alone for awhile. Sam's brows scrunched up at trying to guess who the person was; it took him minutes to do that since the first guess he did his other half quickly argued with him about since it could not be that person he just guessed it could be; not after what happened last night. It couldn't be him. But then after a few more seconds, when the boy saw the familiar piece of clothing on the arm of the couch the person was using -with half of him, his face particularly buried on the bed next to Sam, the kid right off knew he was right.

It was him.

"Dean..." he softly says the name. Not actually to call him to wake up, it was more like just needing to say the name for the sake of being able to again. But that act right there was not left unrewarded though since the owner of said title hears it - even in his sleep. It wakes him up. Slowly sitting up he meets the kid's surprised face looking at him. "...you're...you're here..." he finishes.

"I am?" Dean bats, checking himself - touching his chest for effect before averting his eyes back to the kid.

"You are!" Sam chuckles. Dean chuckles nervously before speaking.

"Uh, would you believe it if I told you I slept walk and found myself here, kid?"

"No."

"I didn't think so." Dean says wryly. Sam could only smile appreciatively at his direction, making Dean both happy and guiltier than last night. "So,what happened to you anyways?" he reaches in and touched the younger boy's arm in a cast.

"I fell at gym. Broke my arm." Sam replies in this vulnerably disarming way. He looked like a 5 year old to Dean at the moment.

"Just your arm is broken?" Dean says, "I heard some jerk broke something else inside there of yours." he says which made Sam look at him with a curious and confused face, but after Dean pointed at his own chest to reference his heart, Sam understood him. "I heard that jerk broke it last night, Sam."

"No, he didn't..." Sam says quietly.

"Yes, he did-I mean I did, Sam. And I know it's unforgivable and everything and I actually didn't have time to grab you something back from the mini mart but...if it means anything for what it's worth...I want to say I'm...I'm sorry, Sam." he says, "Again." he says sadly. "And I know it would be reaching for me to ask you to be my friend again but-"

"Always forever, Dean." Sam cuts him in. "Always forever, remember?"

"You-" Dean swallows the lump in his throat just then since he felt like crying, He wanted to so bad, but he didn't want to in front of the kid. "-you actually still want me to be your friend after what I did, Sam?" he asks incredulously. "You're not joking?"

"No..." Sam chuckles. "...not really."

Dean brows arched, "What do you mean by that exactly - not really? Are we friends again or not?" he says in pretend-annoyance as he got up from the chair he pulled alongside the bed.

"You didn't get me anything so..." Sam starts, "...I'm not sure yet!" he added. Dean narrows his eyes at the kid and then he sniggers smugly while bending down to the floor on side of the bed to reach for something down there. Sam tried to peep to but Dean quickly halts him.

"Halt it right there, Tom!" he says to the kid who settles back on his bed, chuckling. Dean straightens up and hands him something; rather some things. "Here! I lied." he confessed, "You've been asleep awhile so I had enough time to drive to the store a few blocks from here so I can get you this. These."

"I was kidding, Dean. You don't need to bring me anything every time something happens." Sam says.

"Don't worry Sam, there isn't gonna be a third time to this, alright? I give you my word." Dean says, perching his butt on the bed facing Sam who was clutching two boxes of dingdongs to his chest like Dean was gonna try and take them back from him or something.

"You're not gonna get me dingdongs anymore?" Sam asks, to tease.

"Yeah. Yeah that's what I meant." Dean replies with his cheek-pursing at the kid. Sam smiles warmly in response. And then he chuckles again. "You laugh at the smallest things you know that? You sure you're not broken?"

"Noooo..." Sam says. "...I'm not broken, Dean."

"I don't know about that!" Dean bats eyeing the arm in the cast which made Sam stomped; he wrinkles his nose at the older boy and came up with a,

"Touche!"

And then he resumes chuckling. Dean, as he was enjoying the company of the kid, he can't help but feel remnants of his guilt from last night start to fade away. That's when the door opens and interrupted the set-up between them. The older boy didn't miss the fright that formed on his younger friend's face the minute the newcomer's face came in the door.

It was Peter Winchester, Sam's father.


	8. Chapter 8: Slip Of The Tongue

**Chapter Eight:**

Dean, after noticing Sam squinting at the afternoon sun hitting his face just then; heads to the window to fix the blinds for him. Sam wasn't even saying anything about it, Dean was just sensitive enough to the kid's needs. Two weeks he has known the younger boy and he feels like he has known him his whole life; it was something new to him, new territory - but for Dean it was a situation he doesn't want to get out of.

Born an only child, Dean is used to be given the attention to; being done things for. But after he met Sam, it was like a switch just turned something on inside him. This time around, after the kid's introduction into his life, he feels like he needs to do something for the kid. Sam may not have asked it from him or of him; in fact all Sam ever wants is his friendship. But in spite that, still the older boy wants to do something that he has not done before his whole life and that is give something back for growing up lucky-blessed; growing up getting everything he ever wanted; even things he didn't need but still got.

Since he met Sam, the boy has been wanting to give it to the kid instead; all the care and attention he got for himself as a child. He thinks it was not an accident at all that he met Sam; or that his parents chose to pick the particular school Sam goes to. Dean feels like everything followed a pattern; a path. That his parents brought him to that city for a purpose. Dean believes that their paths were meant to cross; that they were destined to meet that day at the corridor. Even finding Sam's lost history book; Dean believes with all his heart that it all had to do with something out of his control. He believes that it was fate that brought them together, him and the kid; fate that brought him into the kid's life. A kid that he has grown to care about big time in a span of just two weeks; a kid he wants more than anything to be there for, to protect; be a friend to. And more importantly _**become his big brother. **_Maybe not by blood but as close as he can get to the real deal. If not more.

He doesn't understand it himself, why the sudden connection with the younger boy, why he is being drawn to the kid like a moth to a flame; but he doesn't care. All he knows is that there is something in Sam; and it was something that makes him NOT want to back away. So he isn't.

Dean was about to head back to the bed when the door opened. And that's when he saw the horrified look invade his friend's face. It actually made his heart ache. Being where he was, which was out of the newcomer's line of sight at the moment, Dean's location obstructed by the door, it was impossible for the said newcomer to have known he was even there.

The man would have immediately started towards the bed with an intent to begin screaming at the kid as his body language suggested to Dean; only after the older Winchester boy cleared his throat to call attention towards himself- that was when the newcomer steps on the breaks to his grim intention. He straightens himself up and tried gathering as much of himself as he can gather. It was awkward for a good few seconds making Dean want to bolt out of there so bad; but since he couldn't and wouldn't want to leave Sam that much more, he stayed put.

He immediately noticed Sam's eyes never leaving the man's face. Dean wanted for the kid to look at him so he can tell him it was going to be 'okay' since he was there, only the younger boy was too caught up in enabling his fear to notice Dean's presence in the same room with him. It was as if Sam doesn't even realize that he was still there with him. His heart went to the kid.

"I didn't know you had a visitor, son." the man said.

'Son?' Dean says in his head, 'This is Sam's father?' he says mentally. "Good day, sir." he started after the idea sank it, offering his hand to the senior Winchester who reciprocates the gesture by taking his hand in his, "I'm Dean, sir. Dean Campbell." he says while shaking the man's hand firmly.

Sam's eyes are on Dean this time; at the mention of Campbell, he became curious about it; why his friend would even hide the fact that all three of them in the room are 'Winchesters.' But given the situation of his dad being there, like his coach once told him off with before to call an even lesser attention to himself; Sam wanted to do that; intends to do that. So asking Dean about using Campbell as opposed to Winchester just then, he intends to ask him that for another time.

"Pleasure to meet you, boy." Peter says while shaking Dean's hand in return; just as firmly, "Peter Winchester, I'm Samuel's father. Are you my son's friend-big brother at school?"

Dean smiles to the assumption. He wanted to scream 'Yes' and nod vehemently to that in response, since the idea of being the kid's big brother is something he wishes with all his heart to be true; only he didn't want to come off as 'creepy' and freak both Sam and his dad out. So instead all Dean did was nod politely and,

"Yeah, I'm his big brother at this program in school." Dean says proudly as he tosses the kid on the bed a big smile. "Right, little brother?" he asks the kid who was reluctant to respond at first, being in the presence of his old man. But after the smile on his new friend's face met his brown pair, Sam can't help but start to abandon his fear of being in the same room as his old father. He nods his response to him. Dean, after catching that, smiles even wider. 'Man! It must be cool having a little brother!' he wondered.

His father and the older boy, his friend Dean, started to talk about random things a few feet from his bed; which Sam can't help but admire his new friend for. Just like the way he has charmed himself into everybody's hearts at school, Dean has somehow managed to do the same thing to his old man. Sam's eyes took to the clock on the wall and logged the duration of the conversation. It wasn't really his intention but after awhile, since he'd rather Dean take care of talking to his dad-and having nothing better to do, he resorted to timing the conversation.

Half an hour it lasted. And then came the thing Sam dreaded the most; having to be with his old man by himself. It was after Peter Winchester mentions that he is driving Sam home. To that Dean immediately stepped in. He offered in taking Sam home instead in behalf of the senior Winchester. After suggesting this, Sam's face practically lit up like a CHRISTmas tree; it was blinding. But after Peter declined the offer, the older boy saw the kid's face go crestfallen like his pet dog had just died.

It took several minutes before Dean was able to convince the older guy; but when he did, and after he left the room - both Sam and him could just let the breaths they were holding in respectively go loudly. As they were walking down down the hallway of the hospital to the exit, Dean could just try to guess what the kid was even thinking since the kid wasn't talking at all. Not since they left the recovery room where they were in earlier.

As they were pulling out of the hospital parking lot, Dean decided to prod; only that's when the kid chose to break the silence first. But he doesn't even feel the need to turn to face the boy though; the whole time, his free hand is toying with his other arm that is in a cast. When he spoke it was barely a muffle but Dean heard him regardless.

"Won't your parents mind?" the kid asks.

"Sam, like I said to your dad earlier-they would love to have you around, alright?" Dean says, "So stop worrying about it!"

"But Dean, "Sam turns to face him with worry written all over his face, "...I'd be a bother to you by then. And I don't want that. I don't want that at all. I can just stay at my house til grandpa gets back on Saturday. It's not like it's my first time at home alone anyways. I've been home alone plenty of times in the past, Dean. And I'm alright." he says, "Except when it rains of course, but-but that's a different story. And it doesn't look like it's gon'na rain..." he looks out at the sky and then to Dean again. "...anytime soon. So I think I'll be fine. Just drop me off at home and I'll be fine."

"Sam, I already gave my word to your old man and I am keeping it." Dean says, "And what is it about the rain? The rain scares you?"

Sam gives a small nod to that.

"Why?"

"I d-don't know..it just does." Sam muffles. "But it doesn't look like it be raining tonight, Dean. So I'm good."

"You're staying with me for awhile til your grandfather gets back. End of story."

"Dean, your mom isn't going to like me. I just know it." Sam says, his voice trailing.

"Are you kidding me, Sam?" Dean spat, tossing the kid occasional glances. "My mom will love you, kid! She will! Trust me!" he says excitedly, "I mean I've barely known you-what? Two weeks and I already love y-"

He wanted to rewind what he said and pause after mentioning his mom; skip telling the kid how he actually felt about him; only it was too late. He had already spat it out. His eyes widened after the words left his lips; he rubs his nape with one hand. He chuckles nervously and rather embarrassingly as he tosses the kid a sidelong glance.

"You love me?" Sam asks quietly. "Really?" he asks incredulously.

"Dude, did I just actually say that out loud there?" Dean says, again chuckling nervously his voice shook. His eyes checked the side view mirror as he slowly pulls the car over to the side of the street. He could actually feel beads of sweat forming on either temple just then at the idea of feeling the kid's judging eyes on him. "Wow, this is-this is awkward." he added. "Super super awkward, kiddo."

They sat there in silence for several minutes before...

"Dean," Sam starts which makes Dean turn to him with a nervous look on his face, "... if that were true..." .

"What, you'd run away?" Dean asks worriedly, "You'd run away, won't you? Bolt out of here and run like hell-"

"No one's ever said that to me before, Dean." the kid replies. Dean looks at him. The kid's eyes were teary. "It feels really good in here." he reaches for his chest, next to his heart.

"Sam..."

"If you'd have meant it...I'd say...thank you, Dean." he says."Thank you. So much."


	9. Chapter 9: Intensity

**Chapter Nine:**

The Impala pulls over in front of Sam's house on Bumble Bee Street. Dean, behind the wheel turns to his passenger riding shotgun while holding on to his still reddened face due to his fiasco earlier which was blurting out his feelings towards the kid TO the real deal himself. Sam meanwhile could just keep on smiling to the fact that in his entire fourteen years of existence, someone finally loves him. It was a long wait, but for the kid who wasn't even expecting it from anybody, much less from Dean when he met him; it was worth the wait.

"Hey Sam-" Dean ducking his head in the passenger seat, caught Sam's face as the boy leans in from outside the passenger side of the car.

"Yeah, Dean?" he says eagerly.

"I want you to pack everything you might need for the whole time you're gonna be staying with me, okay?" Dean says, "I mean everything. Favorite pillow, jammies, stuffed animal..." he teases with a mischievous smirk about to come out of him just then; to which Sam's brows arched on his forehead for it.

"How did-Dean, how did you know about my stuffed animal? I mean, I haven't told a soul about it." Sam says in almost a whisper. His face wore what could only be an embarrassed mask at the knowledge that his secret was exposed to his cool new friend Dean.

"You're serious?" Dean spat incredulously, his face attempting to break into a snicker at any given second; but it wasn't to mock the kid at all. It was more like fond musing. "You have a stuffed animal?" he asks.

"You don't like me anymore now, do you?" Sam quickly replies, chewing his lower lip nervously and flinching on the side. "Dean...I'm really 14."

Dean chuckles. "Sam, that's really cute, buddy!" he blurts out musingly; his face showed much fondness for the boy. "And stop liking you?" he spat. "Dude, I don't even like you right now, Sam..." he started to which Sam actually stopped breathing for a couple seconds because of it, "...hey hey-no, Sam! Before you pass out and what-not...I said I don't like you only because I more than like you, alright? You already know what I mean, don't you? I already bared my soul out to you earlier, remember?" he quickly added. Sam's face breaks into a small relieved sigh. "Sam, there's nothing that could make me stop being anything to you, alright? Not even if you have Frankenstein in your closet!"

Sam smiles to this. "Really, not even then?"

"Not even then. And you can bring him too by the way, Frankenstein I mean." Dean finishes.

"I don't have anything that big, Dean. It's not a big animal." Sam says, "It's just a little bunny I've had ever since I was little." the kid added. "It's just this big." he gestures the size of the stuffed animal with both hands.

"Well then, all the more reason to bring him along then!" Dean says with gusto. Sam chuckles with the vehement nodding. "I'll just go talk to mom first, alright? And then I'm coming right back to get you. You better be ready by then, alright?" Dean tells the kid.

"Okay, Dean." Sam replies. "I'll be waiting right here. Same spot." the kid says while standing on the sidewalk right in front of his house. That may have not meant anything on any other given situation only when Sam said it, Dean just found the need to swallow the lump that invaded his throat just then. It sounded ominous to him hearing that from Sam. But he had enough sense in him not to alert the younger boy to his worry just then.

"Hey, Sam-I think it's better if you stayed inside the house. You wait for me there." he says.

"Okay, Dean." Sam says.

"I'll be back in half an hour or earlier, alright?" Dean says as he started the engine. He waited until the kid was inside the house before he eventually pulled out of there. As he was driving away, he had the kid's front door on his rear view mirror. And then he sighs heavily while nursing his chest. "What the hell could go wrong now?" he asks himself. He has barely said the words in his head when his phone rang in his pocket. His brows met after the screen read unregistered. He took it anyways. "Hello-"

"Dean..."

"Mister Winchester?"

"I wanted to talk to you about my son." says the older Winchester.

"What about Sam, sir?" Dean says. It wasn't long before Peter Winchester yet again tried talking him out of taking Sam in with their family; but eventually though, he still couldn't resist not surrendering to Dean's power of persuasion, namely his charm. After which when the boy wrapped the call up with him, he can't help but cringe at how he was feeling towards the older man. He wanted so much to just punch the guy silly for being capable of something as despicable; namely uttering negative things about his own son to Dean to try and daunt him from being chummy with the kid.

Dean lets out the air from his cheek just then. "Like that's gonna happen!" he scoffs at the suggestion.

The boy, after taking his mom to the den and sitting her down on the long couch in there and himself propping himself on the adjacent smaller one; taking a few seconds first to muster enough courage for the task ahead - Dean took his mom's hand in his as he was about to begin talking. Just as he was about to start, that's when Mary beats him to talking first.

"Dean, sweetie-you're scaring me now." Mary cuts in when Dean was about to start talking just then.

"Mom, it's like this..." he says, wearing the most serious face his mom has seen him to be, "...I-uh.." he goes on, "...now don't hate me, okay? Cause that would just break my heart right there. You know how much I love you and dad-if you start to hate me after this. I just don't know what I would do, mom..."

"Aww, Dean..." she takes his hands in hers, "...sweetheart, don't you ever think that about mommy, okay? Or your dad. We both love you sooo much. And there is nothing you hear me? Nothing that could alter how we feel about you." she says gently, "Whatever this is, we are going to find a way around this. We are going to, okay?"

"You're gon'na love me no matter what?" Dean asks with a grimace.

"No matter what, baby." she says, holding onto her son's hands in each of hers even tighter. "Now tell mommy what the problem is, Dean."

"Mom, I think I may have gotten a girl pregnant and...I just came home to ask for your blessing for when we get married later tonight?" the boy says. Mary's face was unaltered as she stared at her boy's face.

"Excuse me, sweetie...what?" she says.

"I'm getting married mom, got a girl pregnant." Dean says again. "That's what I wanted to talk to you about. I wanted to ask for your blessing cause I'm marrying her. I mean, I can now, right? I just turned of age anyways."

It would even seem that she didn't even hear Dean just then. She just stared at him with a blank look-like she just fell asleep while looking at the boy just then. Dean snaps his fingers in front of her face and even waved his hands to try and make her snap out of the 'seeming' trance she was in.

"Mom?" Dean calls out, taking her on both shoulders and shaking her a little. "...mom, I was kidding."

Mary caught his green pair. "What?" she spat with clenched jaw. Her eyes are on her only child's handsome face breaking into a big wry grin.

Sam is gleefully grabbing his stuff around his bedroom and happily stuffing them into his duffel bag. He grabbed everything Dean told him to bring earlier. His pillow, jammies, his pain pills for his head and his stuffed animal - Turkey. It was a stuffed rabbit like he told Dean earlier, but it was named after poultry. It took him just a couple of minutes to pack his stuff but it took a lot out of him. After resting for a brief second up in his room, he up and dragged his stuff moments later. He is at the living room sitting on the long couch waiting for Dean patiently when the phone rang; thinking it was his new friend, he immediately picks it up. Only after the familiar voice hit his auditory was Sam regretful he even took the call at all.

He'd usually let the machine take it since the calls usually are for his grandpa, only since Dean has been calling him lately, he was thinking it could be him. Hence he picked it up. Unfortunately, it wasn't Dean. It was somebody else.

"What do you think you're doing with that boy, Samuel?" says Peter Winchester on the other end of the call. And he still sounds angry-but then again, for as long as Sam can remember, he has always been angry. Especially when it comes to him. "He seems like a good kid. What the hell would you be doing hanging around him like you could do no wrong?" he goes on, "Does he even know you? What you did-what you are capable of doing, huh, boy?"

Sam could just sit there, crestfallen as he was holding the phone tightly with one hand to his ear.

"Before you take that boy away from his parents like you did your brother and Candice, I suggest you sever all ties with him as early as now." Peter says fiercely, "I will not have you do the same thing to that boy's parents do you hear me, Samuel?"

Normally Sam would mentally respond with the defense of 'It was an accident' - what happened almost two years ago involving him which resulted to the deaths of his big brother and his girl friend; only, being blamed almost by everybody the same amount of time, it has somehow started to brand to the boy's psyche that it was otherwise from what really happened.

"After this week is done-I forbid you to have anything to do with Dean anymore, do you hear me, boy?" Peter ordered. When he got no response from the boy, "DO YOU HEAR ME, SAMUEL?"

"D-dad...I d-don't think I can do that..." Sam says with a shaky voice and a sniffle. "...please don't ask me to do that?"

"Do you really want your new friend to know about the past, Samuel?" his dad says, "Cause I doubt you told him anything about it."

"Dad, please don't take him away?"Sam begged, "I got nobody else left dad...

"The fact that you could have the guts to start complaining to me about taking anybody away only makes me want to-" he growls angrily,"I wish to god we never had you, boy! I wish to god you were never born!" Peter says with disgust in his voice, "I wish you would just die, do you hear me? I wish it was you buried down that cliff and not your brother- not Candice!" he goes on, "You stay away from that Campbell boy after this week is over, or I myself am going to make you disappear- ending up in jail for it be damned! I curse the day you were born, Samuel. You took away my boy!"

He spent the next few minutes after his dad ended the call with him-just staring at the coffee table in front of him.

'Dean's going to hate me too when he finds out...I know he's going to.' Sam starts to say worriedly in his head, 'Dad's going to tell him every thing if I don't stop hanging out with him...' he doubles over in his seat and started crying, '...I don't want Dean to hate me...' he sobbed, '...he's going to hate me...just like everybody else does...'

It doesn't take long before the kid, with shaking hands started to go through his duffel on the floor for his pain pills. His head was aching like crazy his nose started to bleed next. Barely making his way to the kitchen by groping the walls and furniture along the way, he was fighting the urge to pass out from the intense pain in his head. When he got there, he was able to take his pills and wash them down with water. As he was cowered on the floor by the foot of the sink, he was repeatedly saying his fear over & over.

'Dean will hate me too...he will hate me too...he will hate me too...'

**DING - DONG!**

Dean's handsome smiling face met Sam's face when he opened the door. Before he rang the door, he was nursing his sides and his ears from where Mary concentrated her scolding on her boy in the form of pinches.

"You ready?" he gleefully asks. Sam standing in the doorway, duffel on one shoulder which Dean automatically took from him; could just offer a small smile and a cheerful nod. "Oh come on, Sammy? Show a little more enthusiasm here, kiddo-umf!" he barely said what he intended just then when gets wrapped in a hug around the waist by the kid.

'I love you, Dean.' Sam says in his head as he was hugging around his friend's waist with both arms as tightly as he could. And as quickly as the hug was handed out, it was taken away just as quick. After the kid pulled away, he met the older boy's face.

"Now that was more like it!" Dean says.

It was oblivious to Dean that the kid was actually trying to say his heartfelt thanks and goodbyes for when things start to go crazy later on; the kid is trying to soak in as much as he can of the time he can still get to spend with his friend for when the time comes when he has to follow his dad's order of staying away from Dean altogether.


	10. Chapter 10: My Secret

**Chapter Ten:**

Dean couldn't help but NOT notice how his passenger riding shotgun just slouched in his seat which suggested that he was attempting to hide from somebody just then; it was when the Impala was turning a corner 10 blocks from Sam's house. When the older boy followed the kid's line of sight, his curious green pair landed on the subject to which Sam was hiding from, or seemingly doing so at the moment.

It was a little girl not older than 5 or 6. She is playing with a big yellow dog in front of a big white house with a big big lawn.

Sam thought he was subtle enough earlier for Dean to even notice him shrink in his seat but he was wrong. When they were a few blocks past the big white house, as he was sitting right back up and fixing himself that's when he noticed the look Dean was giving him. The older boy doesn't say anything though; he didn't want to pry. But after Sam felt like he owes his friend an explanation to his reaction just then upon being near that house, he decided to be open about it.

"My little sister, Jamie." Sam starts in almost a whisper, "She just turned 6 last week."

"Your little sister? You mean, the one in the picture back at your place?" Dean asks.

"Mmhm." Sam says, "She's real cute, isn't she?" he added fondly of his younger sibling. "She loves Popo, my dog. I didn't want to leave home without him back then, but she was crying really hard that day I got sent away-I decided to leave him with her. That was my dog back there...did you see him?"

"Yeah, Sam I did." Dean says, "Big dog."

"Yeah, he's a big mutt." Sam chuckles to himself at a fond memory as he sat there toying with his arm in a cast.

"Hey Sam," Dean calls out while tossing the kid occasional glances since he is in between keeping them on the road and conversing with the kid. Their eyes met for a second before the older boy had to go back to fixing his eyes on the stretch of road ahead of them again. "..what would your sister be doing 10 blocks from your house. I mean your grandpa's house? Was that a relative's she was at? Babysitter perhaps?"

"That used to be my house back then, Dean..." Sam replies, "...it's where I grew up in before I got sent to live with grandpa."

"Your family lives 10 blocks down the street?" Dean asks incredulously. "But I thought you told me they haven't seen you in almost a couple of years...at least. Or so it seemed?"

"The last time my mom saw me was when my school called her after I broke my hand in phys ed that one time and I just started living with grandpa for about a couple of months. I don't remember exactly... they couldn't get to him so they called her. That was the last time she saw me...a year and 7 months ago...I think. Or 8. Not sure." Sam says, "My little sister just turned 4...I guess she was 4...the last time she saw me. It's just been so long I can't tell anymore. Feels like ages." he added. "But I see them all the time though." his eyes went to the scenery outside his window after taking them off his hands on his lap, "Whenever I miss them, I sneak back and climb up the tree fort just beside the house. My big brother made it with a couple of cousins four summer ago. It was still there..." he says, "I could see them all the way from up there, but I make sure they don't see me." he says sadly.

"Sam, what is all this about, kiddo?" Dean asks in concern as he started to slow the car down and pulled over altogether on the side of the road.

"After what I did, Dean...I don't blame them if they don't want to see me again." Sam says sadly and in almost a whisper again; his eyes slowly found Dean's. "It's been really hard all this time not having anybody... not even my family to come home to. It's really hard being alone, Dean. But because of what happened - I only have myself to blame for everybody hating me." he started to cry, "Sometimes I just-I just wish I wasn't born. But no matter how hard I keep wishing it - it just doesn't come true. It just gets harder."

Dean tried fighting the tears from falling from his eyes but it was a weak attempt; he started to cry once Sam started to open up to him. The older boy reaches in and cradles the kid's nape in his his hand for connection.

"Sam, I know I have no idea of what you must have been through all this time, but I want you to know that now that I'm here...everything's gonna be different from now on, I promise you, everything's gonna change-"

"Dean, my dad doesn't want me to hang out with you anymore after the week is done." Sam cuts in, in between sulking and nursing his temple.

"What?" Dean spat angrily. "What the hell would he ask you to do that for?"

"I don't want to but I don't have any choice." Sam says, "If I don't do as he says..."

"He's gonna what?" he snarls angrily; if he had been a fire-breathing dragon-he'd have scorched Sam himself at the rate he was huffing and puffing in anger behind the wheel of his ride. Incoherently cussing to himself on the side. " Hurt you?" Dean says with clenched jaw, "Did he threaten to hurt you, Sam? Cause I am going to kick his ass if he touches you! I swear to god-"

"I don't want any trouble, Dean..." Sam says, crying helplessly and in distraught. "...I've already done enough."

"Sam, tell me what your old man has on you?" Dean says, "I want to know. I want to know what he and everyone in this stupid neighborhood and that stupid school has on you! I have been busting my head trying to keep away from knowing about it-but it's gone far enough! I want to know, alright? We're friends now. I didn't want to get myself involved with it the last time they tried telling me about it-but it's different now. We're different now. Friends, Sam." he says, "That's what we are now. So I am asking you-what happened? What do they have on you, kid?"

"Dean...you're the only one I have left..." Sam starts with a shaking voice, "...I don't think I could take more of this if I have to lose you too for what I did."

"Who says you're gonna, Sam?" Dean says challengingly, "Like I said Sam, nothing's gonna make me stop being anything to you, I intend to keep that promise. No matter what you're gonna tell me."

Sam looks at him with big fat sad tears streaming down the sides of his face in large amounts. "You promise?" he hopefully asks with a quivering voice, "You're not gon'na leave too?"

"You're not getting rid me easy if not at all, Sam." Dean says with as much conviction to both his tone and the look on his face.

"I hope to god you don't leave too, Dean." Sam softly muffles.

"I promise." Dean says; a teardrop leaving the older boy's eye just then when he said those two words offered Sam a glimmer of hope somehow; that Dean could be the very one person who would stay. "Always forever, kiddo."

Dean waited patiently until the kid has gathered enough courage to talk; it was more or less a long wait but the older boy didn't lose patience or get angry; not even behind Sam's back. He sat there offering as much comfort he can offer to the kid with his presence alone. And that's when Sam finally spoke, half an hour later.

"Ted is a cool brother." Sam began, "We weren't really close cause we didn't have enough time to hang out that much. He was always out with dad. He wanted Ted to be really good at his game and my big brother was. I wanted to tell him lots of times how proud I was of him but I never got the chance. But I was really proud of him - I still am." the kid's voice trailed off.

For a moment, as Dean was listening to the kid talk about his big brother, the older boy was once in awhile finding the need to nurse his chest. He was jealous as hell. But he doesn't say anything.

"We just won a championship game that day, at my school - the one just outside of here. "Sam began in reference to a certain school nearby, he gets a nod from Dean that he knows it. "When I got home, I asked dad if I could go out with my friends to this arcade at the mall to celebrate with them but he didn't want me to go. Ted, had a game that night and my parents and my little sister were getting ready to leave the house to head there. They didn't want me to leave the house cause the house sitter wasn't coming that night." he goes on, "I wanted to get out of the house so bad I snuck out of the house after they pulled out of the driveway but Ted caught me when I was coming out from the side of the house on my bike. He and his girlfriend offered me a ride in his girlfriend's car cause his car was getting detailed that week." he says, "But I knew the game was about to start that time and I didn't want him to be late cause he was the team captain and the best one at school...Ted is really good, Dean."

"I bet he was, Sam..." Dean says quietly. He felt really small versus the 'hero/idol worship' the kid was giving to his big brother; real big brother by blood. Still he maintains a calm demeanor despite how he is feeling at the moment. He wanted so bad to bolt out of there and take a breather but he didn't. He didn't want to leave Sam.

"I didn't get in the car. They followed me on my bike cause he wanted to make sure I got to the mall safely. I kept telling him to just go cause I knew a shortcut to get there. But he insisted to follow me anyways. They were behind me when we got to the sidewinder headin' up the cliff in the shortcut I took. The next thing I know - " the boy started to sulk again at the recollection of such vivid tragic memories.

Dean automatically reaches in to the backseat and grabbed his water bottle from in there and he handed it to Sam.

"Sam, here..." he offers the drink which the kid did take. "...listen, I know I started all this. But if you don't want to talk about this anymore, we can stop, kiddo."

"Dean, my dad is planning to tell you all this himself..."

"Sam, I'm only gonna listen to what you have to tell me, alright?" Dean assuredly says. "I couldn't care any less about what your old man's gonna tell me even if he tried." he says, "And it's not like I'm gonna go meet up with him or anything anyways."

"Dean, I owe you this...being your friend." Sam says.

"Only if you want to, Sam. We can do this some other time too, you know?" Dean worriedly says, brushing the hair back from the kid's face. "You don't look too good, kiddo..."

"I'm okay, Dean..."

"You better be or I'm kicking my own ass for even making you do this in the first place!" Dean growls at himself. A couple minutes of silence invaded them before Sam resumes talking.

"I didn't see what really happened cause it was so fast. But I did see a semi from out or nowhere ramming the car down the cliff with my big brother and his girlfriend in it." Sam recalls sadly, tears falling from his eyes. "Barely missed hitting me, Dean. And I was on a damn bike. But it didn't miss 'em."

'Oh god, Sam...' Dean mentally gasps.

"When the car went over a long way down... the side of the cliff just-just...they got buried under there, Dean. And the-the truck just drove off like nothing happened...I drove back all the way home as fast as I could to get help but it was too late. There was just no way for me to get help back there on time..." he sobs exasperatedly. "They died because of me, Dean. I killed them. It was my fault they were even there..."

"Nonono, Sam...Sammy, don't." Dean gasps as he gets out of his seat and was in no time yanking the passenger side door open and wrapping the kid in a hug. "It was not your fault you hear me, kiddo?" he says in the kid's ear as he was hugging Sam in his seat, "It wasn't your fault..."

**END OF BOOK ONE**


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